Sachusetts



(No Model.)

' S. A..WO0DS 8v H. R. TILLISON.

BELT TIGHTENER FOR PLANING MACHINES. No. 495,445.

Patented Apr. 11, 189 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOLOMON A. WVOODS, OF BROOKLINE, AND HOSEA R. TILLISON, OF BOSTON, ASSIGNORS TO THE S. A. WOODS MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MAS- SACHUSETTS.

BELT-TIGHTENER FOR PLANlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,445, dated April 11, 1893.

Application filed December 5, 1892. Serial No. 454.170. No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SOLOMON A. WooDs, of Brookline, county of Norfolk, and HOSEA R. TILLIsON, of Boston, county of Suffolk,

5 State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Belt-Tightenersfor Planing-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a belt tightener particularly adapted for use on planing machines, whereby the operation of the machine is brought more I fully under the control of the operator, and the power varied rapidly and effectually, in accordance with the work to be performed.

Our invention consists in the combination, in a planing machine, of a driving drum, sidecutter spindles, and belts connecting said spindles and drum, with idler pulleys one for each of said belts, a separate independent support for each pulley, and means to adjust each of said pulleys independently of the other to vary the tension of the respective contacting belts, substantially as will be described.

Other features of our invention Will be hereinafter described and particularly point- 0 ed out in the claims.

Figure 10f the drawings represents in side elevation and partly broken out a sufficient portion of a planing machine, to enable it to be understood, with our invention applied thereto, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 0c:2c Fig. 1.

The frame A, A, bed a, feed-rolls b, b, guide-rolls c, and top cutter head (1 suitably supported in uprights or standards, as shown 0 in Fig. 1, are well known and common features in planing machines and need not be herein further described, as the same form no part of ourinvention. We have also shown herein vertical side spindles e and e, supported in bearingsf,f,of the brackets f ,f said brackets being supported by and movable longitudinally upon the guides g, g, connecting the two sides of the machine frame, as in planing machines of the class herein shown,

the said vertical side spindles being adapted to receive thereon at their upper-ends the side cutters, the brackets being adjustable toward and from the sides of the machine by usual and well known devices, not herein shown, and each of the vertical pulleys are provided, as herein shown, with a band-pulley h, h.

At the feed end of the machine we have herein shown a driving drum B fast to a shaft 0 supported in suitable bearings in the side frames A, A, said shaft and drum being rotated in any suitable manner. The side spindles, as herein shown, are at right angles to the axis of the drum B and are connected to and receive rotation from said drum by belts l0, it, one side of each of said belts contacting with and being supported by the idler pulleys Z, Z, herein shown as flanged to prevent the belt from slipping off. As the belts are given a quarter turn in passing from the drum to the side spindle pulleys, the idler pulleys serve to guide said belts and keep them from slipping down from the pulleys h, h. The idler pulleys are longitudinally movable 0n cross-rods or shafts m, m, the latter being supported in rocker-arms m m fast to rock-shafts n, n, respectively, said rock-shafts extending through the frames A, A, and having suitable bearings therein. One end of the rock-shaft 00. projects beyond the frame A and has fast thereon a ratchet Wheel 0, and a lever p, carrying a pawl r, is supported loosely on the rock-shaft beyond the ratchet 0, and a suitable detent s is pivoted to the frame A to engage the ratchet and prevent retrograde motion thereof.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that when the lever 19 is moved in the direction of the arrow, the pawl 0" being in engagement with the ratchet, the latter and the rock-shaft n will be partly rotated to lift the rocker arms 'm) and thereby the idler-pulley I, thus increasing the tension upon the belt 70, the detent s holding the ratchet, and consequently the idler l, in adjusted position, the said detent forming a locking device for the idler pulley. When the lever p is drawn backward the pawl r will slip over the teeth of the ratchet and engage a new tooth, so that the rock-shaft may be still further rotated to raise the idler Z and increase the belt tension.

The pawl r is provided with an ear or projection t by which the same may be removed from engagement with the ratchet when desired. To reduce the tension of the belt, the pawl 1" being raised, it is only necessary to take the detent 8 out of engagement with the ratchet, whereupon the idler pulley I will return to its lower position. The rock-shaft 42 extends beyond the frame A and has a ratchet 0 fast thereon, the teeth, however, pointing in a reverse direction to the teeth of the ratchet 0, and a lever 19', provided with a pawl r, is loose on the rock-shaft and has a detent or locking device 8 movement of the lever 19' in the direction opposite to the arrow Fig. 1 raising the idler pulley and increasing the tension upon the belt as has been described for the belt 70.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that each side spindle is under the control of the operator, and that the tension upon either one of the belts may be varied at the will of the operator, so that when more Work is required, from one of the side cutters, than from the other, the belt of the former may be tightened during the performance of such work without necessitating tightening of the belt of the other cutter, so that the power transmitted to each cutter is thus made to correspond to the amount of work required of it, the variation of power being, as described, under the direct control of the operator. As the idler pulleys Z and Z are free to move longitudinally upon the cross-rods m, m, they will follow the contacting portions of the belts, no matter whether the side cutters are close together or far apart and will always be in position to support said belts and also perform their function as belt tighteners or adjusters. By thus providing means for varying the belt tensions it is possible to use endless belts, doing away with laced or other joints which require frequent renewal, for as the belt by wear stretches the slack can be taken up from time to time rapidlyand effectively, Without removing the belt or stopping the machine.

We do not wish to restrict ourselves to the precise construction and arrangements of parts as herein shown, as the same may be somewhat altered or changed without departing from our invention.

WVe claim 1. In a planing machine, a driving drum, side cutter spindles, and belts connecting said spindles and drum, combined with idler pulleys one for each of said belts, a separate independent support for each pulley, and means to adjust each of said pulleys independently of the other to vary the tension of the respective contacting belts, substantially as described.

2. In a planing machine, a driving drum, side cutter spindles, and belts connecting them with said drum, combined with idler pulleys, one for each belt, independent pivotal supports for said pulleys, means to move said pulleys independently on their pivots and thereby vary the tension of the belts, and a separate locking device for and to retain each of the pulleys independently in adjusted position, substantially as described.

3. In a planing machine, a driving drum, and side cutter spindles at right angles to the axis of and connected with said drum by belts, combined with rock-shafts, rocker arms secured thereto and provided with pulley sup-- porting shafts, idlerpulleys supported by said shafts and resting against thebelts, and means to rotate said rock-shafts independently and thereby vary the tension of the belts, substantially as described.

4. In a planing machine, a driving drum, and side-cutter spindles connected therewith by belts, combined with two rock-shafts each provided with rigid arms, rods supported by said arms, a flanged pulley loose 011 each of said rods and supporting one of said belts, means to rotate the rock-shafts independently and thereby adjust the pulleys to vary the tension of the belts, and detents to retainthe pulleys in adjusted position, substantially as described.

5. In a planing machine, a driving drum, side cutter spindles, and belts connecting said spindles and drum, combined with pivoted rocker arms, a cross shaft connecting them, an adjustable flange guide pulley for one of said belts loose and laterally movable upon said cross shaft, and means to turn said rocker arms on their pivots to adjust the pulley to vary the tension of the contacting belt, substantially as described.

6. In a belt tightener,arock-shaft provided with rigid arms, a pulley supporting shaft secured thereto, an idler pulley supported thereon, and fixed bearings for the rock-shaft, combined with a ratchet wheel fast on said rockshaft, a pawlcarrying lever loose on said shaft, and a detent to prevent retrograde movement of the ratchet wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SOLOMON A. WOODS. I IOSEA R. TILLISON. \Vitnesses:

GEo. W. GREGORY, JOHN C. EDWARDS. 

